Tuesday, November 13, 2007

The latest tactic of the pro-coal lobby in South Carolina is to gloss over the minimal jobs creation impacts of the Pee Dee coal plants (i.e. 80 jobs) while asserting that if we don't build these plants, our state will lose manufacturing jobs to China. Of course, no evidence has been provided in support of these fear-mongering claims.

Once again, however, advocates for efficiency and renewables have a positive, rather than a negative, message.

Witness this report released last week on the economic impact of the renewable energy and efficiency industries in the United States:

[In] 2006 the combined [Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency] industry generated nearly a trillion dollars in industry sales, 8.5 million new jobs, more than $100 billion in industry profits, and more than $150 billion in increased federal, state, and local government tax revenues. In addition, [Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency] reduce the risks associated with fuel price volatility and can facilitate an industrial boom, create millions of jobs, foster new technology, revitalize the manufacturing sector, enhance economic growth, and help reduce the trade and budget deficits.

How many jobs could this industry create? The report goes on to find that this industry could create over 20 million jobs in this country by 2030. And this is their moderate scenario. Read for yourself to discover what an aggressive commitment to clean energy would mean for employment in our nation.

Welcome to CleanEnergySC.com!

Clean energy - efficiency and renewables - should be South Carolina's 1st fuel. With clean energy a larger part of the mix, our state can clean up, stay healthy, and create thousands of new jobs.

Santee Cooper, South Carolina's state public service authority, wants to build a 1320 MW coal plant on the banks of the Great Pee DeeRiver.

It's the wrong choice for our state. The effects of coal emissions are clear: sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides drive acid rain and smog; soot, or fine particles, are a precursor for asthma and heart attacks; mercury poisons wildlife and imperils human life, and carbon dioxide is the primary driver of global warming. A new coal plant puts our environment, health, and economy at risk.